Monday, May 21, 2012

The Adventure Begins

Scott has been working in Panama for awhile now. My initial plan was to take all of the kids for a few months but things did not work out quite like we had imagined. After much indecision, I finally decided to take Atley out of school for his very own Central American experience with mom and dad. I chose Atley partly because he will be 8 tomorrow, partly because he is the only one old enough to remember any of it, partly because he really needs to gain an appreciation for all that he has been blessed with, and partly because he is a bit of a mess right now and I was hoping some alone time might help. Granny was left in charge of Nash and Harley and our adventure began.

We arrived in Panama City around noon. In true Atley fashion he was absorbing every sight, sound, and smell in the city. He seemed perplexed and finally asked when the earthquake happened and why no one had cleaned up after the disaster. Yes, a question like that was exactly what I was hoping for. Now, I could explain how poor some of the people were and how lucky he was to have what he has.

Here is just one of the buildings that prompted Atley's question.

We got settled at Scott's apartment which has an incredible view of the city. In the distance you can even see the ships lining up to enter the canal.

We then headed to Casco Viejo/Antigua, which is the original part of the city founded by Spanish Conquistador Pedro Davila in 1519 after Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean there. We walked through old buildings, gazed across the bay on the new part of the city with its modern skyscrapers, shopped at the artisan stands where Kuna Indians and local Panamanians were selling their wares, got a glimpse of the presidential palace, and stopped for ice cream before calling it a day.